By Mitch Ryals Columbia, MO — By the time Michael Hawthorne was about 4 years old, his mom was already sick of his questions. The innately curious Hawthorne continued asking them through middle and high schools as he worked on school papers, though it wasn’t until college that he realized his dream was to become a big shot…

Photo courtesy of Pattie Quackenbush By Mitch Ryals COLUMBIA, Mo. — Soil is alive. It moves and changes below our feet without a second thought or a thank you from above. Yet soil health and composition has a huge impact on our lives. It affects the food that grows in the ground. It affects forests, which…

Photo courtesy of U.S. Food and Drug Administrations By: Mitch Ryals Columbia, Mo. — Nutrition labels might get a makeover in the next year. A recent proposal by the Obama administration would require nutrition labels to highlight calories and added sugars. Eating too much added sugar can contribute to chronic diseases such as obesity, says…

Mitch has degrees in journalism and English from the University of Missouri — Columbia . But don’t ask him to recite any Shakespeare, his emphasis was in creative writing. Originally from St. Louis and now a graduate student at the Missouri School of Journalism, Mitch wants to write for a newspaper or magazine when he graduates.